Revenge of the Book
by Martial Arts Master
Summary: Takes place after the first Care Bears movie. The evil spirit book is back! And it's got a new puppet. Rated PG-13 for what happens in some chapters. Please Review!
1. Revenge of the Book Part One

Revenge of the Book  
by Martial Arts Master  
Care Bears and all related characters copyrighted by Nelvana, DiC Entertainment, and Atkinson Film Arts. There are, however, two characters in this fanfic that I made up. One is:  
  
Jack the Robber: A parody of Jack the Ripper. This guy, however, is merely a robber, without the heart to kill anyone. Unfortunately for him, he becomes the newest puppet of the evil-spirit-within-a-book from the first Care Bears movie.  
  
Manny Macho: A male teenager who comes from a family who firmly believes in the "macho" stereotype (even the mother, who does all the housework). Some of you may know the "macho" stereotype: Smokes, drinks beer, treats women like objects, thinks anything intended for smaller people is "gay", loves violent action, swears a lot, doesn't express feelings. However, Manny, while subscribing to the stereotype thanks to pressure from his family, secretly _hates_ it, wishing he could express his more sensitive feelings. He becomes one of the heroes of this story.  
  
So those are the two characters I made up. I got the idea for this after watching the DVD version of "The Care Bears Movie", and this takes place after that movie. And now the story shall begin!  
  
***  
  
  
  
The evil spirit was angry.  
  
That stupid boy, Nicholas, had been supposed to help it rid the word of all caring. And yet, thanks to those Kim and Jason kids, Nicholas had closed the book. The evil spirit, in desperation, had even destroyed the key which would seal it, but that _infernal_ bear Secret Bear had produced another one.  
  
Now it was trapped inside this _horrid_ thing. It wanted to be free.  
  
Oh, how it wanted to be free.  
  
You see, this evil spirit had never told the humans exactly _why_ it wanted a world with no caring, even though it had ostensibly only been helping Nicholas achieve revenge on the humans who'd left him friendless.  
  
The evil spirit wanted a world of no caring because when it was alive, it was a female psychologist who'd grown tired of listening to those pathetic people and their petty little problems. She'd died of bitter old age, but her spirit returned, and it reasoned that in a world of no caring, the world would be perfect: no problems to complain about.  
  
Little did she know, as she sat there, in her book, which Nicholas had buried after the whole incident, that she would get another chance at her evil means...  
  
  
  
Jack the Robber was _not_ having a good day.  
  
He didn't know how to do any honest work. You see, he'd had abusive parents, and had run away at age fourteen, too old to adopt. He'd had to live on his own, and he _hated_ it.  
  
He remembered the punchings...and the kickings...the fact that his parents hadn't even seemed to be doing it out of _anger_...they merely had drinking problems, and as you may know, alcohol screws up your judgement. They'd merely been having a little fun.  
  
But it wasn't fun for him.  
  
He lived in a tent on an abandoned field, quite near the circus where Nicholas and Fettucini performed. Those two provided some light to Jack the Robber's life, at any rate.  
  
He made his living by breaking into people's homes when they weren't there, and stealing money. He'd gotten quite good at it. He'd even earned an alias: Jack the Robber.  
  
He'd long ago discarded his real name. His past life was a loser. He hated his past life, with his parents' drunkenness.  
  
But today none of the homes he'd broken into had any money stored in them. Just plain rotten luck.  
  
"I wish my luck would change," he muttered to himself. "I've had a pretty crummy life so far."  
  
Now why didn't the Care Bears detect this unhappy person? you might ask. Surely he counts as a person who stopped caring.  
  
And you'd be right to ask.  
  
Unfortunately, unbeknowest to him, the evil spirit, while weak from being sealed, had still been able to use its powers to shield him from the Care-o-meter, to _deliberately_ prevent him from being helped by the Care Bears. There was a reason.  
  
After he made his wish, though, things began to change.  
  
"I can help you, Jack..." a voice said to him.  
  
Jack looked up, startled.  
  
"Who's there?!" he shouted, shaking a fist in the air. "Come out before I pound you!"  
  
"You wouldn't want to do that," the voice answered, "when I can help you realize all your dreams."  
  
"Where are you?" Jack the Robber asked."  
  
"Underneath your feet," the voice replied, as Jack looked down, startled...  
  
  
  
But now we must take our story somewhere else.  
  
We must take our story to the land of Care-a-Lot, the home of the Care Bears.  
  
The Care Bears were wonderful little creatures. Their mission was to travel to Earth when people had trouble with their feelings, and to help them share those feelings and feel better.  
  
But you already know that part, friends; else you would not be here. So I have no need to list their names.  
  
I probably also have no need to inform you of their wonderful little friends, the Care Bear Cousins.  
  
I do, however, probably need to inform you why they were called their cousins, since they were not even bears.  
  
You see, they are cousins by name, but not by biology. Rather, they are cousins in spirit. The friendship these wonderful little animals share with the Care Bears is a friendship known also to cousins. Right now, the Care-o-meter hadn't dipped yet, so they were all having fun. The Care Bear Cousins were visiting Care-a-lot at the moment, so they, too, were included.  
  
"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Love-a-Lot Bear squealed as she slid down a rainbow slide. She ended up accidentally sliding into Grumpy Bear, who had been walking past the slide at that moment.  
  
"Ow!" he shouted as he was knocked back a foot.  
  
"Oops! Sorry Grumpy Bear!" Love-a-Lot Bear cried out.  
  
"It's okay," Grumpy Bear grumbled. "This kind of stuff happens to me all the time."  
  
Meanwhile, Share Bear was sharing both a milkshake and an ice cream soda with Champ Bear.  
  
As he took a sip from both drinks, he said, "Thanks a lot, Share Bear! I've been a bit too skinny lately, so I need to gain some weight so I stay healthy."  
  
Share Bear laughed.  
  
"I never heard of anyone _gaining_ weight to stay healthy!" she said, still laughing.  
  
"Well, if you don't eat enough, your body doesn't perform as well," Champ Bear said.  
  
Proud Heart Cat, who was sitting at the table, said, "That would be a tragedy! Then you couldn't perform your best!"  
  
"And we all now you're the expert in that department," Share Bear said, taking a slight dig at Proud Heart Cat's slight perfectionism. But it was harmless, and it helped Proud Heart Cat to specialize in helping those on Earth to do their very best, whatever their best is.  
  
As for Loyal Heart Dog, he was currently playing with Bright Heart Racoon, by playing "fetch" with a lamp that Bright Heart Racoon had produced. Remember, after they'd been inaugurated as Care Bear Cousins, Tender Heart Bear had given them Care Bear symbols and powers.  
  
Speaking of Tender Heart Bear, he was ready to listen to Playful Heart Monkey tell a joke.  
  
"So this guy walks into a bar," Playful Monkey Heart said. "Ouch."  
  
Tender Heart Bear was confused.  
  
"That's it?" he asked.  
  
"Yep," Playful Heart Monkey answered. "Get it? Bar as in places for beers? Bar as in _metal bar_?!"  
  
Then Tender Heart Bear got it, and he started laughing uproariously.  
  
Grams, meanwhile, was telling Baby Tugs and Baby Hugs a story.  
  
"And so, King Midas was not happy, despite his golden touch, for it worked on his food and drink, too," she was saying. "And gold, being solid, cannot be eaten or drank."  
  
"So King Midas went hungry because of the gift he wished for?" Baby Tugs asked.  
  
"That's right," Grams said.  
  
As for Cheer Bear, she was trying to wake up Bedtime Bear to join in the fun, but to no avail.  
  
In one part of Care-a-lot, Friend Bear, Funshine Bear, Good Luck Bear, Secret Bear, and Wish Bear were all playing tag, and Secret Bear was "it".  
  
In another part of Care-a-Lot, Birthday Bear was asking some of the Care Bear Cousins if it was any of their birthdays. Birthday Bear loved to celebrate.  
  
"Sorry, my birthday was a week ago," Brave Heart Lion said.  
  
"Mine was two months ago," Cozy Heart Penguin said.  
  
"I won't be having my birthday for another three weeks," Gentle Heart Lamb said.  
  
"My birthday's in eleven months," Treat Heart Pig said.  
  
"I'm not having my birthday for six months," Swift Heart Rabbit said.  
  
"My birthday's in two months," Lotsa Heart Elephant.  
  
"Darn..." Birthday Bear said. He really loved to celebrate, and usually always found something. Actually, there _was_ something!  
  
"Happy _almost_ birthdays!" Birthday Bear said, leaping about and throwing confetti.  
  
The others shook their heads in amusement.  
  
Suddenly, the Care-o-meter took a dip, and everyone stopped their fun to rush to the meter.  
  
"Someone must need our help!" Birthday Bear said as they were rushing.  
  
"Of course someone needs out help; that's what the Care-o-meter was made to detect, you doofus!" Grumpy Bear snapped.  
  
Everyone took turns looking through the star scope. This is what they saw...  
  
  
  
Manny Macho wondered if maybe he should just stop caring. He hated his life.  
  
His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Macho, and his older, 18-year-old brother, Mako Macho, firmly believed in the "macho" stereotype and the way it could help get through life. Somehow, though, Manny didn't see the point.  
  
He had to drink beer and smoke cigarettes, for one thing. And he was too young to do those things. He was only 17 years old.  
  
And he had to be a jerk to women, too.  
  
He hated that. When an attractive woman came by, his parents expected him to say something stupid, like "Ooh, baby! What I wouldn't give to have THOSE round things to play with at the beach!"  
  
He could understand why his father would want to support that, but his _mother_? She was one of the gender he had to be a jerk to! But yes, she, too, supported the "macho" stereotype, even if it meant that she had to do all the housework.  
  
And of course, if a cartoon ever came on the TV, he was expected to say something idiotic like, "Oh jeez, this show is so gay and retarded that the writers must've been on crack!"  
  
And he was expected to cheer when violent, bloody action came on.  
  
"Not to mention all the times I have to swear," he muttered to himself.  
  
His birthday was in a few days, so he'd be 18 and he'd earn the right to move out, but Mako, who was 18 already, was planning to move out at the same time Manny did and into the same place he did. So Manny _still_ couldn't escape.  
  
You see, growing up in a family like that, he had to pretend to support their ways.  
  
He acted like the mean jerk he was expected to be...but he didn't like it.  
  
He decided...maybe he should just stop caring.  
  
  
  
"This is serious!" Champ Bear declared. "I may be good at sports, but even I don't carry macho _that_ far!"  
  
"Me neither, and I'm the brave one!" Brave Heart Lion said.  
  
"We'll have to use the Rainbow Rescue Beam," Tender Heart Bear said. "Who wants to go on _this_ mission? He probably just needs to tell his parents how he feels."  
  
Little did they know that it wouldn't be so easy...  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, following directions, Jack the Robber had dug up a strange-looking book.  
  
"Don't tell me _you're_ talking to me!" Jack shouted. "I must be dreaming."  
  
"This is no dream, fool," the book said. "Don't you wish that the world was a fair place? That since you have to steal money to make a living, you shouldn't have to fear the police?"  
  
Jack scratched his head, a sure sign that he was thinking.  
  
"Well, that would be pretty nice, actually," he said. "You don't mean to say that you can help me, do you?"  
  
"That's exactly what I mean to say!" the book said in a louder voice. "I can help you mold the world into a world of no caring. Then, no one would care whether or not you steal to make a living. How does that sound?"  
  
"That sounds wonderful!" Jack the Robber said. "But how do I do that?"  
  
"I contain within me powerful magic spells," the book said. "But you'll need ingredients."  
  
"Tell me what to do!" Jack the Robber said, rubbing his hands together in glee.  
  
"First, turn the key in my lock," the book said.  
  
Jack was confused, until he checked the clasp and found that there really was a key in the lock. He turned it, and there was a brilliant **FLASH**.  
  
The book opened, and...  
  
"Oh jeez, there's a _face_ staring at me! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Jack the Robber screamed, dropping the book.  
  
"Pick me back up, you fool, I won't hurt you," the face said.  
  
With trembling fingers, Jack picked up the book.  
  
"Now, you won't be able to take all caring from the world immediately," the face warned.  
  
The face showed him a hologram of colorful little bears walking around on clouds.  
  
Jack was confused.  
  
"Who are they?" he asked.  
  
"They are the Care Bears," the face said. "Accursed little wretches. Whenever someone stops caring, they come down from their clouds and teach the person how to share their feelings and how to love."  
  
"Why didn't they come for _me_?!" Jack the Robber screamed in bitter anguish. He'd decided this was probably a dream, despite what the book said, and that he'd play along, but he was still angry because there was a chance...just a chance...that there really were such bears...and that they'd abandoned him.  
  
The evil spirit, of course, didn't tell him that it had blocked him from the Care-o-meter.  
  
"They thought you were beneath them...that robbers didn't deserve to care," the face said. "But I can help you get revenge. I do have a spell that requires no ingredients at all. With it, you can expel the Care Bears from Care-a-lot, and force them down here to Earth."  
  
"Tell me what to do!" Jack the Robber said, just like before.  
  
The face flipped its own pages and said, "Just read this paragraph."  
  
Jack the Robber read aloud what looked to him like mere gibberish.  
  
But suddenly, dark energy started to pour out of the book, going up into the sky.  
  
Jack the Robber didn't see what happened, but for some reason, some part of the sky looked dark now, and was it his imagination, or were lots of colorful bears and colorful animals falling from the sky in the distance?  
  
"You have now expelled the Care Bears from Care-a-lot," the face said, laughing evilly. "And they cannot return, because the Rainbow Rescue Beam and all the cloudmobiles are still in Care-a-lot. And now, your mission can begin!"  
  
Jack the Robber didn't know what the Rainbow Rescue Beam and cloudmobiles were, but both he and the face started laughing in glee...  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
  
E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@comcast.net 


	2. Revenge of the Book Part Two

Revenge of the Book Part Two  
by Martial Arts Master  
Care Bears and all related characters copyrighted by Nelvana, DiC Enterainment, and Atkinson Film Arts. I made up Jack the Robber and Manny Macho, though. And here's the second chapter.  
  
***  
  
  
  
The Care Bears and the Care Bear cousins woke up, dazed.  
  
When they looked around, they saw a normal Earth neighborhood that happened to be located next to the plain where, unbeknowest to them, Jack the Robber lived.  
  
"My head hurts..." Grumpy Bear complained. "The last thing I remember is that huge dark force coming right at us, and now we wake up here."  
  
"Whatever that was must've kicked us out of Care-a-Lot," Friend Bear said.  
  
"This is awful!" Funshine Bear shouted in fear. "Our cloudmobiles and the Rainbow Rescue Beam are still up there! We can't get back!"  
  
"Now everyone don't panic," Bright Heart Racoon said. "I'm sure there's a way. Meanwhile, we seem to have landed in the same neighborhood where that boy we saw through the Star Scope lives. At least we can make use our plight to help that boy."  
  
"Well _that's_ a strange coincidence," Swift Heart Rabbit said, talking in his usual high-speed voice.  
  
"Not really...it must've been my good luck," Good Luck Bear said.  
  
"Luck, schmuck," Grumpy Bear grumbled.  
  
"So what are we gonna do now?" Loyal Heart Dog asked.  
  
"We should find the boy who's stopped caring, help him out, and then think about our own problem," Gentle Heart Lamb said meekly.  
  
"Good idea!" Champ Bear declared.  
  
They began searching for the house...  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Manny Macho was as miserable as he was before, but, as said before, he'd decided to just stop caring.  
  
He was sitting on his bed with his head in his hands, looking as dejected as possible.  
  
He'd just seen a woman pass by out the window, and, with pressure from his family, had shouted, "Hey baby, wanna have a good time with a REAL man?!"  
  
Now, he thought about how _stupid_ that sounded.  
  
He hated this idiotic stereotype he was forced to conform to.  
  
He was about to give himself up and drink more beer when there came a knock at the front door.  
  
He was confused.  
  
"Visitors? That's weird..." Manny muttered to himself.  
  
He went to the door and opened it...and gasped.  
  
Standing there were what looked like colorful teddy bears. Only they had symbols on their chests and were standing up under their own power.  
  
Also standing there were colorful animals that also looked like stuffed toys standing up.  
  
"I think I drank too much beer," he said.  
  
"No, we're real," Funshine Bear said. "And we came here to help you feel better."  
  
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Manny said as "macho"-ness dictated.  
  
The animals seemed undisturbed.  
  
"We're the Care Bears!" the bears all said in unison.  
  
"And we're the Care Bear Cousins!" the animals all said in unison.  
  
"You see, our mission is to help those on Earth share their feelings," Love-a-lot Bear explained. "Every time we detect someone who stops caring, some of us go down to Earth to help."  
  
"And you've been repressing those feelings because of your family's wishes," Brave Heart Lion said. "That's no way to live."  
  
Manny scratched his head in confusion.  
  
"So...you _all_ came down to Earth to help me?" he asked doubtfully.  
  
"Actually, we were going to send only a couple of us," Share Bear explained, "but a dark force cast us out of our home in Care-a-lot. We decided to help you, and then figure out how to solve our own problem and, more importantly, who expelled us from our home in the first place."  
  
"Well, you're wasting your time," Manny grumped. "I won't be able to share my feelings because my stupid family says macho people don't show their feelings."  
  
He looked down at the ground in sadness and said, "I probably don't even have any feelings anymore."  
  
"But everyone has feelings, Manny," Grams Bear said. "Even you."  
  
Manny's eyes widened.  
  
"You even know my name!" he said in surprise.  
  
"That's because we saw you through the star scope," Cozy Heart Penguin said.  
  
"Look, you really shouldn't be here," Manny said, suddenly panicking. "If my family finds you and your 'un-manliness'.."  
  
"Oh, Bedtime Bear put them to sleep a while ago," Tender Heart Bear replied. "Through an open window, no less. Now come on...why don't we go visit an ice cream shop we passed on the way here, and maybe you'll remember how to have feelings. Your family won't wake up for an hour."  
  
Manny was unsure.  
  
"Well..." he said hedgingly. "I suppose I could do it...for a _little_ while..."  
  
"Great!" everyone else said, and to Manny's surprise, they ran off in the direction of the ice cream shop, so Manny had to run along behind to keep up.  
  
  
  
Jack the Robber, meanwhile, was listening to more instructions from the evil spirit.  
  
"Now that you have cast out the Care Bears and the Care Bear cousins, you must finish them off," the evil spirit said. "As long as they still exist, they will stop any spell you cast to rid the world of uncaring."  
  
Jack the Robber was uneasy.  
  
"What do you mean 'finish them off'?" he asked fearfully.  
  
"You are a robber, are you not?" the evil spirit snapped.  
  
"Well of course I am!" Jack the Robber replied indignantly.  
  
"Don't you have a gun?" the evil spirit asked.  
  
Jack the Robber immediately knew the answer to that.  
  
"Yeah, but it's just a memento I stole from my parents to remind myself that I was forever free of them," he replied. "It's loaded, but I never use the bullets because I hate killing anyone."  
  
Suddenly he became horrified.  
  
"Wait...you're not suggesting I shoot those animals, do you?" he asked, dreading the answer.  
  
"Hahahahahahahaha, that's exactly what I'm saying," the evil spirit cackled. "Last time we met, I used spells against the Care Bears, and I still ended up being sealed. But no Care Bear magic will stand up to the power of bullets."  
  
"You psycho! I draw the line at robbery; I'm not gonna shoot anyone!" Jack the Robber screamed.  
  
The evil spirit sighed, finding Jack the Robber uncooperative.  
  
It began to use its magic.  
  
Wave after wave of green magic penetrated Jack the Robber's mind.  
  
Jack's mentality began to warp and become twisted.  
  
The evil spirit, from its book, used its powers to cause Jack the Robber to grow more evil and vicious. His face reflected the change, as it slowly grew from a normal face to that of a twisted madman.  
  
When the brainwashing was done, Jack the Robber cackled wickedly, "Okay, Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins! You left me all alone, and for that, it's time to _die by the gun_! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha..."  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
  
See? There's a good reason this fanfic's rated PG-13. Don't worry, though, this won't turn into an anti-Care Bear fic. You'll see what I mean as I finish future chapters. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@comcast.net 


	3. Revenge of the Book Part Three

Revenge of the Book Part Three  
by Martial Arts Master  
Care Bears and all related characters copyrighted by Nelvana, DiC Enterainment, and Atkinson Film Arts. I made up Jack the Robber and Manny Macho, though. This chapter's gonna get scary, so those who are faint of heart might want to stop reading. Ladies and Gentlemen: the third chapter.  
  
***  
  
  
  
Manny Macho was having the time of his life.  
  
First, he, the Care Bears, and the Care Bear Cousins had gone to the ice cream shop.  
  
Manny'd ordered the biggest sundae available.  
  
After that, they'd gone to a playground; only this one was specially built for teenagers, with bigger slides, bigger swings, and generally just "bigger" anything.  
  
Manny'd had a blast. He'd also started to let his emotions show, having fun with the others and playing with them without a care in the world.  
  
This, of course, was the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins' goal. Once, they'd helped Kim and Jason show their feelings in an extremely similar way, by letting them have fun back up in Care-a-lot.  
  
Now, for another bit of fun, they were at the same circus that the great Fettucini and his helper Nicholas performed their shows in.  
  
Manny was amazed by all the things they could do.  
  
Fettucini sawed a lady in half (not _really_, of course), and Nicholas turned a dove in his hand into cards.  
  
"Hard to believe he used to be friendless," Lotsa Heart Elephant said.  
  
Manny was confused.  
  
"Excuse me?" he asked.  
  
"Well, Nicholas used to have no friends at all," Funshine Bear responded. "In fact, an evil spirit trapped in a book took advantage of him, and nearly defeated us."  
  
"I...take it you won, though, right?" Manny asked slowly. Well, why not...if there were Care Bears, there were evil spirits, he guessed.  
  
"We did, thanks to two kids named Kim and Jason," Good Luck Bear said cheerfully.  
  
Before Manny could hear any more, the show was over.  
  
As Manny Macho, the Care Bears, and the Care Bear Cousins left, they headed next to the middle of a dense forest.  
  
"So, why are we in this place?" Manny Macho said. "I should get back, the hour's almost up."  
  
"Well, you don't really need man-made stuff to have fun," Playful Heart Monkey said knowingly. "I should know! I'm a monkey! I have fun in the trees all the time."  
  
"Yeah, but I'm a human," Manny snorted.  
  
In answer, Playful Heart Monkey grabbed Manny Macho and swung into the trees with him.  
  
"Hey! What are you...whooooooaaaaaaaa!" Manny shouted as he was swung through the air.  
  
Then, as he got used to it, he thought that it was actually sort of fun.  
  
Then, abruptly, out of seemingly _nowhere_, a shot rang out, and the limb that Manny and Playful Heart Monkey were currently on broke.  
  
Manny and Playful Heart Monkey ended up crashing painfully into the ground.  
  
"What in blazes?!" Manny screamed. "This is a protected forest! Hunting isn't allowed here! When I get my _hands_ on whatever jerk fired on us..."  
  
"You mean me?" asked a cold, maniacal voice.  
  
A man stepped out from behind a tree with a handgun in one hand and a book in the other, still smoking.  
  
"Who are you?" Grumpy Bear asked.  
  
Jack the Robber smirked mirthlessly. "I'm Jack the Robber," he said, striking a pose as our heroes trembled at the sight of his gun.  
  
Then, he abruptly pointed the gun at them again.  
  
"And you Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins are gonna eat lead!" he shouted. Then, just for good measure, he threw in a "Baaaaaaaaaaaa hahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Secret Bear whispered something in Manny Macho's ear.  
  
"No, I don't know how he knows who you guys are," Manny said back...and then abruptly screamed, leaping back as Jack the Robber shot a bullet at his feet.  
  
"Pipe down, you stupid kid!" the brainwashed robber said. "I only want those stupid little animals."  
  
Then, Jack the Robber shot a large amount of bullets at them.  
  
Our heroes were lucky. They were in a very dense forest, and the bullets, rather than hitting them, merely ended up hitting the trees and either tearing through them, losing their force, or richoeting somewhere else.  
  
"Split up, everyone! This guy's stark raving _mad_!" Tender Heart Bear shouted.  
  
Everyone else obediently scattered, running to different parts of the forest.  
  
"Darn trees!" Jack the Robber muttered. "Thanks to them even bullets can't hit those, and bullets are faster than the time it takes for a second to pass. I'll have to go after just one at a time."  
  
With this in mind, Jack reloaded his gun and then turned and chased after Share Bear, evil spirit book in hand.  
  
He pursued Share Bear for a long distance.  
  
Share Bear, in panic, used her power to make a large ice cream soda come out of the symbol on her tummy. It ended up being dumped on Jack's head.  
  
As Jack was wiping the drink off his face, Share Bear was able to get away.  
  
However, as soon as Jack cleared the drink off, he spotted another Care Bear: Champ Bear, to be exact.  
  
"Time to die, bear!" he shouted as he shot another bullet.  
  
This one, though, richoeted off a particularly hard tree.  
  
Then, Champ Bear made a trophy come out of his tummy symbol.  
  
The trophy fell on Jack the Robber's head.  
  
"**Owwwwwwwwwww**!" he bellowed, clutching his head in pain.  
  
Champ Bear tried to reason with him.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" he asked. "We've never done anything to hurt you."  
  
"You left me all alone when I was so miserable I stopped caring!" Jack screamed, still in too much pain to fire again.  
  
"That's impossible," Champ Bear snapped. "If you stopped caring, our Care-o-meter should've dipped."  
  
"Liar!" Jack the Robber screamed, rubbing his head with the book in his hand.  
  
That's when Champ Bear noticed the book was open, and a face was inside.  
  
"Oh no! The evil spirit's back!" Champ Bear shouted in fear, running away.  
  
Then, the pain finally cleared, and Jack the Robber looked for another target.  
  
He found another target in Bedtime Bear...who was sleeping.  
  
"You picked a bad time for a nap, you fool," Jack said as he pointed the gun at Bedtime Bear.  
  
Suddenly, he was blasted from behind by a Care Bear Stare.  
  
Champ Bear had retrieved the other Care Bears, and they were all using their infamous Care Bear Stare, the rainbow-colored beam that was the ultimate way to make someone able to love again.  
  
Unfortunately for them, Jack, like Nicholas before him, was too far in the evil spirit book's power for this to work. There were too few Care Bears using the stare.  
  
Then, Bedtime Bear woke up, yawned, and used his Care Bear Stare as well.  
  
It _still_ didn't work.  
  
Jack the Robber pulled the trigger of his gun, but he was out of bullets.  
  
"I have to reload!" he said, running like the wind to get away from the Care Bear Stare.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, where was Manny Macho during all this, you might ask?  
  
He'd been ducking for cover in another part of the forest, so that when the robber ran out of bullets, he could do the macho thing and defeat him singlehandedly.  
  
Then, he caught sight of the robber fleeing.  
  
What luck! Manny thought to himself. The robber must've run out of bullets and is too scared to face the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins without them.  
  
Manny was about to rush the robber when he caught sight of Jack reloading his gun.  
  
Manny cursed to himself for waiting so long.  
  
He was starting to get mad at this jerk.  
  
The Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins were warm and loving creatures, who only wanted to make the world a caring place.  
  
And here this _bozo_ was trying to ruin it all!  
  
Manny saw Jack catch sight of Gentle Heart Lamb, who'd been hiding behind a tree.  
  
In a mock version of "Mary Had A Little Lamb", Jack the Robber sang, "Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb, Mary had a little lamb _whose fleece will soon be red with blood_!"  
  
Jack the Robber aimed the gun at Gentle Heart Lamb, who covered her eyes with her forelimbs, waiting for the end.  
  
Two thoughts flashed through Manny Macho's mind at that instant.  
  
The first thought was that the macho thing to do would be to let this psycho kill all the "cutesey" creatures, because according to macho-ness, killers were cooler than those who cared.  
  
The second thought was that Manny was _through_ being macho! He'd had fun with these creatures for a full hour, and he was able to show his sensitive, caring feelings and no one thought ill of him.  
  
Gentle Heart Lamb was an innocent and gentle creature who'd never want to do anyone any harm.  
  
She didn't deserve to die.  
  
Manny screamed and rushed towards the robber and Gentle Heart Lamb, thanking his lucky stars that his parents had made him practice football so he could run fast enough.  
  
He succeeded in performing a football tackle, carrying Gentle Heart Lamb out of the way.  
  
He heard the robber fire, and he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, followed by loss of blood, and followed by loss of consciousness...  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
  
You might be thinking that this chapter was too scary for a Care Bears fic. Don't worry, though, everything will work out peacefully in the end. You'll see what I mean in the final chapter once I upload it. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@comcast.net 


	4. Revenge of the Book Part Four

Revenge of the Book Part Four  
by Martial Arts Master  
Care Bears and all related characters copyrighted by Nelvana, DiC Enterainment, and Atkinson Film Arts. I made up Jack the Robber and Manny Macho, though. This is the final chapter.  
  
***  
  
  
  
The Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins were horrified after having seen Manny Macho get shot in the shoulder after protecting Gentle Heart Lamb.  
  
They picked him up, ready to take him to the hospital.  
  
Jack the Robber, meanwhile, was grumbling.  
  
"Stupid kid...shouldn't have gotten in the way..." he was mumbling.  
  
"What does it matter?" asked the evil spirit book in his hand. "You're going to create a world without caring after you finish them all off anyway."  
  
Everyone else heard the familiar voice.  
  
"So _that's_ why this guy's so mean!" Love-a-lot Bear said. "He's been brainwashed by that evil spirit just like Nicholas was! But why did he unlock the book in the first place?"  
  
"It doesn't matter now!" Jack the Robber began angrily, "but for your information, my life has been horrible! I've had abusive parents whom I was fortunate to escape from, I've had to live on my own from a very young age, I've had to turn to a life of crime to make ends meet, and I've just stopped caring. And you Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins, who claim to care about everyone, obviously didn't come to help me!"  
  
Then, Brave Heart Lion thought of something.  
  
"I've got it!" he said, snapping his fingers. "Remember when you guys inaugurated us as Care Bear Cousins, and put tummy symbols on us? Maybe now, we can do the Care Bear Stare as well as you guys!"  
  
"Bring it on, you pansies!" Jack the Robber said, waving his fanny at them as a taunt.  
  
The Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins lined up and shot a rainbow-colored beam out of their tummy symbols. Now that the Care Bear Cousins were in on the act, this time, it actually appeared to be working.  
  
"I feel strange..." Jack the Robber said in wonder. "I feel all warm inside. Like the feeling you get when---"  
  
"No! Stop! You don't care!" the evil spirit book said. "You don't care because they don't care! And we want a world where nobody cares!"  
  
But the power of the combined Care Bear Stares was too powerful.  
  
Slowly, Jack's madman look began to fade, replaced by a normal face.  
  
"Thank goodness!" Jack said, sighing in relief. "I thought I was gonna become a psycho killer."  
  
The evil spirit began to panic.  
  
"No! Nooooooooooo!" it screamed.  
  
In a desperate tactic, it used the same green magic to try to re-brainwash Jack the Robber.  
  
"You Care Bears will be finished!" the evil spirit cried maniacally. "He's so hate-crazed because of what he thinks you did. If I hadn't blocked your Care-o-meter, this plan would never have come to fruition."  
  
But the evil spirit had just made a _fatal_ mistake. It had been so concerned with taunting the Care Bears that it had forgotten to make sure Jack the Robber was completely re-brainwashed. Thus, Jack the Robber overheard all of it.  
  
"**_YOU!!!_**" he screamed in unimaginable anger. "You're the one who made sure the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins never helped me! I was in so much mental anguish, all because _you_ blocked them from detecting me! And then you used my anger to help your twisted ways...anger that _you_ were responsible for!"  
  
Then, before the evil spirit could react, Jack the Robber aimed the gun at the book and shot a hole directly through the center.  
  
The evil spirit screamed, and there was a brilliant **FLASH** of light.  
  
Then, the book was empty. The pages were blank, no face to be found.  
  
"Now the evil spirit is destroyed," Jack the Robber said. "Even if the book is found again, it will never again use anyone else for its evil ways. Give that kid to me. I'll take him to the hospital myself, even if it does mean I'll be arrested for robbery."  
  
Before the others could respond, Jack the Robber took Manny's unconscious form...  
  
  
  
Manny's eyes slowly opened.  
  
His first thought was that he wasn't in the forest anymore.  
  
Looking around, he could see that he was in a hospital bed.  
  
Then, he looked over to his right and saw a humongous pile of flowers, boxes of chocolates, and a couple of cards.  
  
A voice spoke from his left.  
  
"One of the cards says it's from 'the Care Bears', and the other says it's from 'the Care Bear Cousins'," the voice said.  
  
Manny looked to his left and saw a nurse.  
  
"Do you know who they are?" the nurse asked.  
  
The nurse would call Manny a lunatic if he told her who they really were, so he said, "They're just a couple of clubs. Don't ask me where they got the names, I didn't pick 'em."  
  
"Oh, I almost forgot!" the nurse exclaimed. "You have visitors. It's visiting hours, so shall I send them in?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," Manny said.  
  
To his astonishment, Manny's brother, Mako, and his parents walked into the room.  
  
"Hey dude, I just wanna say that you were awesome!" Mako said. "Not many people are man enough to get shot in the shoulder and still be alive."  
  
"It isn't like the movies," Manny said, suddenly groaning in pain as he became aware of his shoulder throbbing. "In the movies guys can get shot in the shoulder and keep fighting. In real life, though, this friggin' _hurts_!"  
  
"That's because when bullets enter the shoulder, they bounce around," the nurse said. "You're lucky to be alive!"  
  
"Mom, Dad, bro, there's something I _really_ need to share with you," Manny Macho said.  
  
"Whatever you like, son," his father replied.  
  
Manny sighed in relief. The Care Bears and the Care Bear Cousins would've wanted him to share his feelings. In 17 years he'd never told his family how he'd felt about what he was going to say.  
  
"I hate being macho!" he cried out. "For 17 years, you've forced me to conform to your stereotype! I hate drinking beer because it makes me sick with hangovers! I hate smoking cigarettes because it makes me cough! I hate not being allowed to express my feelings! Do you know how frustrating it is to have to keep my sensitive feelings inside of me? And what about me having to act like a jerk to women? How do you expect me to have a relationship later in life if I want one? I can't have one treating women as less than equals, that's for sure! And I can't watch cartoons rather than those stupid violent movies because of _your_ stupid stereotype! I don't feel very loved..."  
  
After Manny was done ranting, he screamed in pain, because he'd gotten himself so worked up that he'd moved his shoulder.  
  
Meanwhile, his brother, mother, and father were astonished. They, of course, were firm believers in the "macho" stereotype. But what they said next would show they weren't that bad after all.  
  
"Son...why didn't you tell us?" Manny's mother asked. "In 17 years, why didn't you say something?"  
  
"Because I was afraid you'd call me unmanly," Manny responded bitterly. "Or a sissy! Or a wimp! Or homo! Or gay! Or queer!"  
  
"Son, you do realize that we're only allowing you to yell at us because you haven't gotten this off your chest for years?" his father said.  
  
"I know...and I'm sorry, but that's the way I feel," Manny said with conviction.  
  
"Bro, being macho is a cool way to live life, but if you don't wanna be macho, I'm not gonna stop you," Mako said.  
  
"We only forced you to conform because we thought you would be happier that way," Manny's father said. "But if your way of life walks a different path, then so be it. Your birthday's in a few days, and when you turn 18 and move out, we'll make sure Mako doesn't move in with you."  
  
"That's not gonna happen anyway," Mako said. "Not now that I know how he feels."  
  
Manny was completely flabbergasted.  
  
The Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins had been right! All he'd needed to do was share his feelings, and his problems were completely solved!  
  
  
  
For the next few days, the relationship between Manny and his family was patched up.  
  
Then, when Manny moved out, he went into college and majored in psychology.  
  
After graduating, he went to graduate school to study more of the same thing.  
  
He kept studying afterwards until he got a Ph.D in psychology.  
  
He ended up forming a therapist group for males who want to either become more sensitive or want to freely express their more sensitive sides without fear of persecution.  
  
Actually, to thank Manny for saving her life, Gentle Heart Lamb gave him permission to use her image as a symbol for his group.  
  
As for Jack the Robber...well, let's find out, shall we?  
  
  
  
After many years, Jack the Robber, or should we say former robber, was finally out of jail.  
  
Because one of the charges was assault, the sentence was much longer than mere robbery, and he was a much older man now.  
  
He could've had the visit from the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins that he'd so desperately needed, but after his experience with the evil spirit book, he realized the trouble that lack of feelings could cause if improperly used, and no longer stopped caring. He was going to set things straight with his parents, and tell them how he felt, and he was at their door now.  
  
When he knocked on the door, a very old man and a very old woman answered the door.  
  
"Mom, Dad, it's me," Jack said.  
  
His parents were shocked.  
  
"_Son_?!" they both exclaimed, embracing him.  
  
"We haven't seen you in decades!" his mother said.  
  
"Why did you run away?" his father asked.  
  
Jack pulled away from their embrace.  
  
"You two used to get drunk and abuse me!" he said. "After your idiotic alcohol binges, you used to beat me up! You weren't even angry!"  
  
He continued accusingly, "You were beating me up for _fun_!"  
  
He was soon sorry for his harsh words when he saw tears in his parents' eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry I yelled just now," Jack began, but his parents cut him off.  
  
"We're the ones who should be sorry," Jack's mother said. "Running away was wrong, but after a long time we realized that it was the only way you could escape. Our drinking impaired our judgement as to what kind of fun was acceptable."  
  
"And we realized how horrible we'd been to you," Jack's father said, "and that it was our own fault that you ran away. We were so consumed with guilt that we swore that from then on, we would never drink alcohol again. And we gave it up for good. That's why alcohol hasn't killed us. We were right to swear off alcohol."  
  
"But we aren't going to live very long, Jack," Jack's mother continued. "And you've had to be a criminal to survive. We've already done all the complicated legalities for a will. Why don't you live here, with us, and when we pass away, everything will be left to you."  
  
"Obviously it was wrong of you to turn to crime," Jack's father said. "But you've already served your full sentence, and you didn't try to break out. You were in there so long, I think you've learned your lesson. So how about it, son? Give us one more chance."  
  
Jack the former robber was suddenly choked with emotion.  
  
He'd never thought his parents had had it in them to be sorry for their actions.  
  
He hugged them both, shouting, "I accept!" and beginning to cry at their generosity.  
  
Jack lived many long years after that, but his parents died soon after.  
  
Jack went back to education and got a Ph.D in psychology just as Manny Macho had done, afterwards forming a group for rehabilitating convicts.  
  
And none of this could ever have been made possible without the intervention of the Care Bears and the Care Bear Cousins. Long may they live and prosper.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
The End  
  
  
  
E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@comcast.net 


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